Lyria Aurmith
History The woods of Egron are vast and full of mysteries. They have countless protectors; fey, spirits, druids that call them home and watch them from within and without. One of these, an elf named Tolfane, has been a custodian of the woods near Dragonburgh for centuries. He has, from within the woods, watched the lives of men and their wars, seeing little but folly in the world outside the woods. The forest provides, and within it is peace and innumerable lessons to be learned from the fauna and flora and fey that drift in and out. It was one of these fey that wound her way into Tolfane's heart, sowing flowers where Tolfane had cultivated stones. Nynfaire, a vila who wandered the forest as often as she disappeared from its groves, was an attractive and elusive sprite, secretive and alluring. From this union of warrioress and druid came Lyria. Tolfane took charge of her care when she was weaned; Nynfaire's irregular disappearances continued, her reasons never explained. It was a mystery Tolfane accepted with grace; the forest and its inhabitants live as they will, and the fey have their promises that bind them. He wished to shelter his daughter from the tumultuous and chaotic life of a faerie. So it was that she became a child of the forest, under her austere and gentle father's guidance. He imparted to her the importance of nature, its beauty and cruelty, its uncaring whims. She tended the forest, learning its labyrinthine pathways and twisted roots and branches, its fruits and poisonous traps, the thousands of animals and spirits that made up the sylvan patchwork of her world. The separation from her mother was not without its negative effects. Tolfane is still uncertain what caused it, whether it was something that happened in-utero or due to Nynfaire's inconstant presence. Lyria took ill in her third year, a disease that weakened her and caused bouts of narcolepsy. Tolfane, even with all his knowledge of herbalism, was unable to cure it. The fits of narcolepsy grew longer and longer, until, by the age of six, Lyria was experiencing some slumberous spells stretching more than a week, unable to be woken. Tolfane even left the forest, fruitlessly requesting the assistance of human medical practitioners and clergy. This was an exercise in futility. Not only did he lack coin, Tolfane discovered the ugly greed that ruled the civilised world. Nynfaire vowed to her lover to find a cure for their daughter. This was how Trili became a part of Lyria's life. The pixie was plucked from somewhere in the world, ostensibly owing a debt to Nynfaire. Trili claims to be the daughter of a sister of a brother-in-law of a handmaiden to a fey noble of the Seelie Court. Trili, like most fey, has magic in her body. She's not exactly a sorceress, nor a witch or warlock. Her magic is the wild sort, distilling itself in the dust in her wings. Frustratingly, Trili's dust soothes magical imbalances of arcana in the body. Tolfane theorized that he could, with Trili and Nynfaire's assistance, create a charm that would keep the illness in check. It would not cure it completely. Privately, Tolfane thought the problem was one caused by a constant exposure to magic while Lyria was growing inside her mother. The fey courts were rife with it, unnaturally so, and Tolfane is conservative with the use of magic, especially so for an elf. Nonetheless, he used his magic for the sake of his daughter. Trili's pixie dust, water from one of the forest's bubbling springs that gurgle forth from the earth's heart. Mud from beneath the roots of a certain tree, and a drop of blood from the mother and father. With it, he crafted a bracelet beneath a blue moon, the muddy mixture hardening about his daughter's left wrist. To this day, Lyria wears the bracelet, never removing it. Trili decided that a world in which she was free was preferable to one where she was labeled based on some distant relation and was forced to bear the expectations that came with the precarious link to some foppish fey aristocrat. * Her father is a druid; it is from him that she learned her art. * She has tended to the forest and its creatures for seventeen summers and more. * Her father has had dreams of a threat to the wood from outside its bounds. Like fear itself, the threat is dark and shapeless. He urged his daughter to leave the woods, to band and bond with others, and to fight this darkness. Appearance Lyria is a young half-elf woman of middling height and slight proportions. Her hair reaches her shoulders and has a slight wave to it, though it is longer at the back, and often pulled into a braid. Her eyes are cautious things the colour of an autumn sky at midday, staring at the world around her with a quiet reluctance. She favours darker colours and loose clothing of humble make. Her favourite piece of clothing is a cloak of dark grey, accented with gold. Her boots reach up past her knees and are made of the same leather that her belt and gauntlets are made of; an old, worn set of equipment. On her left wrist, one can always see a bracelet made of dull, grey stone with no seams. Personality Impersonal, detached, avoids conflict, taciturn, intuitive, cautious, skeptical of others, lax, placid, absent minded. She is more relaxed in natural settings than she is in urbanised environments. Relations NPCs * Tolfane Aurmith: Lyria's father. Stern, but gentle and kind. He is a nurturing guardian who taught Lyria much of what she knows, and all of her art. * Nynfaire: A vila who visits Tolfane and Lyria regularly. Unbeknownst to Lyria, Nynfaire is her mother. The deer-riding woman impressed on Lyria the importance of keeping her word and remembering promises. * Trili: A talkative pixie who took a liking to Lyria. A friend and confidant. Aspirations Her father bade her to find the mysterious darkness, and so that is the primary driving force behind her travels. She hopes to one day return to the forest, and to live the rest of her days in a hermit-like existence. ... She might be just a tad curious about the world beyond the borders of her forest, though she wouldn't admit it. Trivia & Miscellany Category:5e Player Characters